Canadian_giant

Though it's just a concept, I hope it becomes a reality. I have never been a fan of travelling with my bike on the roof of my car.

Frankfurt preview: Honda Civic Tourer Active Life concept | LeftLaneNews

doctor j

Looks interesting. I wish other automakers would try something innovative like this.

daf1009

What a cool vehicle! If they make it real, count me in!

okane

In one of the photos about 1/2 of the bike is sticking out the back end and you're supposed to travel like this? Would be fun on a rainy day. And I can't imagine the law will be pleased with your license plate position out of sight.

I'm also not sure about carrying a bike on the side on narrow or twisty roads where on coming traffic often times takes their half of the road out of the middle.

I'm all for innovation that improves but I don't see that here.

But then again, maybe I don't understand.

Lazyass

Pretty sweet. They won't make it, but if they did it would be another one of those cool cars you can only buy in Europe.

f4rrest

Add some pedals, so I can help that tiny 1.6 liter climb hills.

Lazyass

I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a workstand. For when the car is parked

okane

Makes more sense than riding down i-95 at 70 mph with a bike hanging out the end.

Fly2High

0-60 in over 10 seconds is lousy. When will they put a reasonable engine in their base models. Highway entrance ramps are too short for such low power to enter safely in more congested markets. Even if they add a turbo would help.

I would rather the back seat fold away like in some SUVs instead of being gone completely.

Otherwise, sounds cool.

WalksOn2Wheels

In my last two cars, a Pontiac Vibe and a BMW X3, I managed to find a spot to mount a cheap fork mount on the back of the seat. This way, the bike goes in front first, and the handlebars are basically right behind your headrest. The only major disadvantage is that I have to remove the seat post to fit it in there. But then again, the upside is not spending ~100-150 bucks for an aftermarket hitch plus another couple of hundred bucks for a proper tray style bike rack.

CliffordK

When I was driving, I always carried my bike inside the vehicle. That rack looks nice.

However, the bikes do seem to take up all the space inside, including all the passenger space. The non-flat floor could be awkward for carrying other stuff.

I've gone essentially car-free, or non-driving lately, so it isn't a lot of use for me at the moment.

WalksOn2Wheels

Here's a shot of my setup in the BMW.

CoMotionRider

Honda has the Honda Fit out right now that will fit two road bikes into the car without removing your seat.

Wilfred Laurier

I just got rid of my Grand Caravan, and as a tall person I find their image of a bike upright in the back of a Honda Civic laughable. To put my bike in the back of my GC I had to remove the front wheel and put the bike right over on its side to get it in, then it would still barely clear the roof when placed upright. I bought a used Mazda 5, and while it is undoubtedly larger than any Civic variant, I haven't even tried to put my bike inside - I got a trailer hitch receiver installed when I bought it and use my rear rack.

All that being said, the Civic is probably the best small car available (meaning possibly the best car overall IMHO), and a wagon version is an awesome idea. Sadly they don't even sell Civic hatchbacks in NA anymore - just the much-less-useful sedan, and if you want more space, you have to buy an SUV or a crossover :/ (or their excellent Fit small wagon).

SpikedLemon

I look forward to the Civic hatch return... But a Civic wagon would be quite a dream.
We need more hatchbacks this side of the Atlantic.

WNCGoater

Great if you never ride with but one other person, ever. Nor ever take luggage, a cooler, golf clubs, etc.

PatrickGSR94

Honda Element will fit 2 road bikes fully intact, without removing any wheels or anything else from the bikes.

WalksOn2Wheels

There is tons of room AROUND the two bikes in that photo, not to mention that really deep well towards the back. Imagine this is for two people to take two bikes on a week long vacation. It's more than enough room.

And golf clubs? Really?

indyfabz

Really. I have done Cycle Oregon 4 times. Over 2,000 people each year. If the rest day has golfing opportunities a good number of people take advantage of them.

gsa103

Interesting but vaguely pointless concept. The only people potentially interested would be as a peloton support car, and it couldn't even be used for that since it lacks a back-seat.

Basically, its a less useful version of the Element, which is a great cyclist car.

WalksOn2Wheels

If I were buying a car strictly for bicycle storage, the Honda Element would have to be it. But I really, really like my cheap, used BMW.

Wilfred Laurier

I agree it is a great vehicle, but uses (used? Do they still make the Element?) 50% more gas than a civic.

corrado33

That car is ugly as sin.

It's underpowered, lacks versatility of most cars now-a-day, and only has a manual. It'll never come to the US. (We apparently don't like wagons or manuals.)

WhyFi

It's a concept car, folks - they're usually purpose-driven and not terribly practical/viable for mass production/adoption, but the manufacturers can often glean useful experience out of them.

Wilfred Laurier

Ironically, a manual transmission, properly used, makes up for not having a large engine. A friend of my wife's recently got a Honda Fit with a manual trans and mentioned how underpowered she thought it was. My wife explained the concept of the 'downshift' and her friend no longer thinks her car is underpowered.